My genes are making me buy bigger jeans.

Oh genetics, how we love thee. Thank you for my thin hair, my propensity to gain weight in my mid-section, and a tendency to get a little OCD about things. To be fair, I also thank you (in a non-snarky way now) for my good singing voice, my perfect teeth (although neither of my parents know where those came from), and my artistic talents.

Now, thanks to the progress of science, I can add another thing to the list (the snarky one):

According to Australia’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, healthy people (that’s me – knock on wood) with a family history of type 2 diabetes (also me – type 1 AND type 2 on both sides. Awesome.) gained 35% more weight after a month of overeating than those without relatives with the disease. Thirty-five percent. Three. Five.

Apparently, certain people may be prone to short-term insulin resistance which leads to them to feel less full after eating (I can pack it in, let me tell you) and also to stockpile more calories as fat. Fabulous.

It all makes sense now. No WONDER I gain 2.5 – 5 pounds per week if I go on vacation! Ironically, I still have the 10 pounds I gained 2 years ago while visiting Australia, home of the research institute who discovered this particular statistic. It was a great vacation, really great, except none of my pants fit when I got home.

Knowing this little tidbit of information is not going to stop me from splurging while on vacation. Life is too short and if the threat of 2 – 5 extra pounds doesn’t already stop me, let’s face it, it’s not going to. However, maybe I’ll be a little more aware of what might happen if I do over do it and rein it in a little. Maybe.